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From: dry76
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  • Moving. Brilliant.

  • על נהרות בבל שם ישבנו גם בכינו בזוכרנו את ציון

  • amazing

  • Bravo

    

  • the melodians version is better than the boney m version. it reflects better the feeling of the words. and this version reflects even deeper!

    Babylon: Happy is the one who seizes your infants

    and dashes them against the rocks.

    Jah love!

  • jah rastafary...yes I'... jah bless...

  • Sinead O' is a good artist. I love her songs and her personality. She is a very brave woman.

  • The Melodians were so good.

  • @21envy and were sent here to Australia as convicts. It was a deliberate policy as the English believed that Colonial societies could only become profitable created by salves or convicts.

  • I always thought this show was absolutely disrespectful, she just can't get on the stage with Jewish Tefilin items, Sinead could have been bigger without such a behaviour. Really bad idea. Unacceptable and coarse. I understand she tried to be as rebel as she could but not breaking the rules.

  • Una buona interpretazione,con la suavoce può fare Tutto..

  • @warriorprince1010 This truth is rarely ever spoken. Sold for guns to kill African brethren am i correct?

  • Sinead's performance fills me with soaring strength and absolution. Bloody brilliant rendition. The epitome of soul, folk, and faith for me

  • Sinead O'Conner makes me so proud to be Irish :)

    

  • יהודית ילדה מתאסלמים

    watch?v=ZZ45jWmyPBo

  • Boney M did the original musical version. O'Connor has just killed and buried it.

  • @TheSciencefiend - I agree about the murder, but please note that the original version was from the Melodians in 1970.

  • thank you,,,,

  • Psalm 137 1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

    2 There on the poplars we hung our harps,

    3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?

  • singing my dad song that he compose and did ,,very powerful song,,big up to my dad mr BRENT DOWE, and the MELODIANS,,R.I.P IN PEACE ,,DAD,

  • @sophiadowe

    May God Bless him.

  • j'adore

  • JAH JAH JAH............

  • i love sinead o conner.i want her 2 sing at my funereal.

  • Not to be rude, but it's a little ironic to see a baldhead singing about Jah Rastafari...

  • @zerah16 After intelligent thought one would realize that the message of Jah is not for dredheads alone but for all faithful souls

  • WooW !! She got hair....I like it when women have hair on their heads :):):)

  • Ras Tafar was the name of Haile Selassi before he became emperor of Ethiopia

  • @21envy obviously.

  • She's BEST!

  • beautiful voice and beatiful song. Thanks for posting.

  • ...Und der Cherub steht vor Gott !! Bravo !!

  • Boney M Contributed to the hatred and the occupation of Iraq and kill innocent people

  • @21envy This song was written based on events way before America as we know it now even existed. Nothing to do with Irish slaves.

  • Who is King Alpha? Was He invented for this song?

  • @geezerfromhell King Alpha is a referance to H.I.M. Haile Sellasie I. Rasta's refer to him as King Alpha. He's is who the song refers 2 also when the song chant's "O' Far I also. Ras Tafar I.

  • @MrJames1520 Thank you for that information. I believe that the Rasta's are a bit relaxed about historical details and I don't mind that because I like some of their songs. In this particular case, I note that the slave trade ended well before the world had heard of Ras Tafari. Is he believed to be an immortal?

  • @geezerfromhell Yes, he is viewed as immortal. The original Rasta's believed that Ras TafarI was literaly Jesus Christ returned. So, similar to the christian belief of christ immortality, Ras Tafar I has always been around. It's like if U tell a devote christian something happened before christ their reply would b, "Christ has been here since the beginnig of time. So, there is no before Christ". Hence, in Rastafari ideology, there is no before Ras Tafar I.

  • @geezerfromhell "New Name" by Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus explains it a little better when they say, "It's a new Name Jah got... New name, precious name, new name Ras Tafar I". Basically, Ras Tafar I was formally know as Jesus Christ, in the original rasta studies. Thus, in the same context that Christ refered to himself in the book of Revelations as the Alpha and the Omega, in Rasta ideology, Ras Tafar I is the Alpha and the Omega. The begining and the end.

  • Love her!

  • Lehet, hogy a Melodians slágere volt (sőt biztos...), de mégis a Boney M. által vált azzá, ami. Liz Mitchell és Marcia Barrett , a 2 disco-díva hangján az igazi.

    Sinead is nagyon jól adja elő, az ő jellegeztes stílusában.

    Meghallgatnám Tőle egyszer a Boney M. / Marcia Barrett / Belfast - című dalát is.

  • always always always ahead of her time. Sorry, friends, but this little white Irish woman sings this as well as them all. Fact.

  • Peace & Love

  • Sinead is very smart woman...she knows how the Jewish love and care for Zion- jerusalem and stay devoted to Jerusalem through out all history of mankind...this song written by a prophet but king David, an aclaimer poet and jewish king and musician gather all the songs into one book PSALM

  • Rivers of Babylon is originally a hymn and later covered in Reggae by the Melodians and later by Boney M..... heard there was some discrepancy as to there being a female ghost singer on Boney M's cut..... (don't ask)

  • hermoso

  • It is not a Boney M cover, really, because their version was a cover for the original song by the Melodians, composed from the 137th and 19th psalms. Very wierd to hear an Irish gal singing a Rasta song composed from the old testiment. Very strange...

  • sorry, but Sublime's version is bye far the best. Her voice doesn't even compare to Bradleys.

  • Comment removed

  • @Maclow237 The best? Have U ever heard the original? Sublime even sang some of the lyrics wrong. Check the Melodians, the original version.

  • Peace , Jah knows we all cry out for it... thank you Sinead for your gift

  • nyabinghi!

  • read Psalm 137.......its a gospel song .

  • @stv2k  its a song by bonny m

  • "Rivers of Babylon" is a song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of The Melodians in 1972, and popularized mainly by the 1978 Boney M. cover version.

  • 1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?

    and so on..........

  • Its still a gospel song being thats it lyrics it taken from the book of Psalm...obviously King David is the creater of the song.

  • que hermosas version muy buena ...

  • or just they don't like his 'religion' and love the melodie

  • This is not a cover of the of 1978s Boney M version!

    The lyrics are from the original version of "rivers of Babylon" by the Melodians from 1972..

  • @dunjak111 The lyrics are from 1525 (W. Dachstein) ! A very old gospel/Choral.

  • @dunjak111

    wrong boney m did this version then it was changed for the final version search boney m rivers early version and you will hear them sing this text

  • @JoanCollins2009

    Nope, the original is from the Melodians, released in 1970.

    Boney M released their version in 1978. On the B-side was "brown girl in the ring", which was a cover, too. Boney M even got sued for "plagiarization"

  • i love this version..but Sublimes will always be my favorite

  • gives me the damn chills, every time. :)

  • Powerful. Intense.Gorgeous. Art.

    Sinead infuses a deep soulfulness and passion into every song fortunate enough to gain her attention. To me, there is no greater vocal artist today.

  • give rianna a good song

  • i concur ^_^

  • perfect. there's no better than Sinead.

  • melodians, boney m and sinead are amazing

  • she sucks .. she totally screwed up the song i like boney ms version best since they came out with it back in the 70s

  • you're joking? you prefer the cod reggae of boney m compared to this beautiful rendition? if you prefer this sang in a reggae style then i'd suggest you listen to the melodians version

  • Are you kidding me? She did this song justice. Her high notes are like no other! This is beautiful!

  • simple minded fool.  Sinead captures the spirt of this song... I'm Jewish and I know what it's really about. If you want disco.. boogie woogie your way over somewhere else.. and get a clue while you're at it.

  • what I meant to say was READ A BIBLE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD

  • Biggups,, Jah Bless her !!! Jah Live !

  • Thanks, but it's NOT a Boney M cover!

    They covered the Melodions!

    Awesome song thanks for posting.

  • sublime's version is way better

  • you must be kidding... as much as I dig Sublime, Brad's voice isn't even in the same universe as hers...Sublime's version lacks emotion and feeling compared to someone who bleeds on stage like Sinead O'Connor does.

  • Sublime was a band of LOSER JUNKIES.. get over it.

  • hello , my 1st time seeing & hearing this ,, but YonahMoshe ,, just wondered why , you mentioned , that you were glad he died ??? I did'nt v care to much for the music , but never would wish , that someone died !! LIFE IS A JOURNEY , WESHOULD NEVER WISH SOMEONE TO DIE ALONG ITS WAY

  • they are still a band..and their music is amazing. You are ignorant.

  • Amazing? Looks like you're the one who is ignorant... Seems to me the only taste you have is in your mouth.

  • yes the melodians sang this song before Boney M.... however this song is a traditional African song that was sung by slaves.

  • Actually, it's a Jewish song. I heard about it in my Judaism class. It's a great song. It talks abou the Babylonian perod after the destruction of the temple. In any case, I can so feel this song.

  • It is not Boney M cover... the first version is from the Melodians, a Jamaican group...

  • Well, it was pretty good until she started doing all that "fancy" voice stuff. The best version is still the original. The Melodians are amazing reggae.

  • Brawoo from POLSKA:)

  • She smelled like pot when I met her.

  • That is Sineads natural fragrance. She is enchanting!

  • @DonnieBrownIII you met her and thats wat you want to share withe the world about that encounter?  c`mon!

  • grut spruktupulus litapitulus merikutapotamus

  • So when Oliver Cromwell sent the mass of young Irish slaves to the Caribbean, they where housed with slaves from a parts of africa and out of the union of Irish and African a new music was born , and it was named REGGAE............!

  • I guess these comentators don't understand that the song belongs to the song. It's given life and then is propagated by anyone who continues to breathe it into life. look up the definition of INTERPRETATION. It's what the song means to YOU, not her, or him. And therefore no one can take that meaning away from you...nor should anyone from her.

  • no, she's trying to sing reggae...she used the 'king alpha's song' lyrics rather than 'the lord's song' as it is in psalms. king alpha is rasta-mon. right?

  • She's not trying to sing reggae - it's actually a religious song!! Check your bible Psalm 137

  • Irish people need to stay as far away from reggae as humanly possible. They've already attempted to destroy the blues, R & B, and Bluegrass..now reggae? Aside from Rory Gallagher, it's all shit.

  • funny comment. although i kind of agree with you, i do appreciate her giving a shit though.

  • Yeah, she's definitely cool. But this interpretation is weak...that was my only point.

  • she does it well actually, you should appreciate it

  • Appreciate a mediocre interpretation of a song that most definitely does not need yet another interpretation? This song has been covered ad nauseum by many artists. I'm happy you dig it, though...

  • Irieland was invaded over nine hundred years ago. Cromwell the Puritan ethnically cleansed the North by killing the parents and sending the children as SLAVES to the Caribbean. It is most appropriate that she should chant this psalm in rememberance of the great tragedy of InI ancestors from Irieland. More harps and pass the chillum pipe; Jah bless the roots and Rasta Love.

  • nice one, very emotional song

    btw the original lyrics are "taken" from psalm 137

  • this is a good song. just heard daniel odonnel singing it. he sings it faster.

  • This is not a fucking boney m cover you dumbshit, the Melodians wrote this song!

  • Hey ! Boney M. THE BEST ! You use foul language because of own weak-mindedness.

  • You use foul language because of own weak-mindedness.

  • It's a good version different but still good.

  • shittiest version of all, shes a dope

  • she's a nutter, but an amazing voice nonetheless

  • I LOVE THIS SONG!

  • is this on her reggae album? always loved sinead but havent kept up with her last couple of releases and now I want to catch up. Thanks.

  • This is an old church song from the caribbean that was popularized by rastafarians.

  • Shes a babylonian, why is she singing this song???

  • I was at this concert and I remember Sinead laughing at the back up singer when she was shaking her tits. Too funny.

  • love it

  • The text of this song is from Bible. These words comes from psalm 137. Also Boney M sang that song, but Sinead O'Connor version in my opinion is the best...

    Big up!!! Jah Rastafarai

  • Rastafari*

  • this is not a boney m song, this is a song of "the melodians"

  • Junto aos rios de Babilônia, ali nos assentamos e nos pusemos a chorar, recordando-nos de Sião.

    Nos salgueiros que há no meio dela penduramos as nossas harpas,

    pois ali aqueles que nos levaram cativos nos pediam canções; e os que nos atormentavam, que os alegrássemos, dizendo: Cantai-nos um dos cânticos de Sião.

    Mas como entoaremos o cântico do Senhor em terra estrangeira?

    Se eu me esquecer de ti, ó Jerusalém, esqueça-se a minha destra da sua destreza.

  • q amarga!!! Re depresiva...jajaja...lindo tema!

  • Does anyone know if she has a cd that is all reggae?

  • Yea its called throw down your arms, its really good

  • I think this was taped in Chicago. I was in the front row center!

  • This particular Psalm from the Bible speaks of the harps placed into the trees. Did the clouds turned dark and throw lightning darts down to strike the metal of the harps in the trees? Oh Jah strike those trees...bring them down...dam up the river of Babylon with branches & trees! I have a new version of this song...completely different...not like Fiddler on the roof but Jewish...more classical.

  • By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

    We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

    For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

    How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?

    If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning...

  • If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth;

    if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

    Psalm 137 King James Version

    Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

    Psalm 19:14 King James Version. Both translations hardly convey the beauty of the original, but...)

  • Yuck.Sinead, stick to what you know. You discredit this beautiful song. PLease, no more torture.

  • By the way lovely rendition by Sinead.

  • Anyway...everyman makes a choice. Ethiopianworld God loves us both but we will both be accountable for our choices for we all know the truth when we hear it.Pride in blackness or whiteness can blind. If it makes you feel better Christ was likely a brown/black man anyway. He could hardly have been a blue eyed blond & milk skinned. The bible describes legs like burnished brass and hair like wool. Spaniards and Poles recognize him in their art as black. Why seek you another Christ? Behold Jesus.

  • I was thinkin' to perform this song with my band. Couldn't make up my mind on arrangements though. This kinda gospel version is killer!!! Thanks for the inspiration Sinead, great performance :-)

  • No, BOney M did not m a k e this song.

    Been canoned since 1960s and probably

    way way before that in Jamaica.

  • brent dowe and trevor macnaughton made it famous originally...but its actual a biblical hymn or passage or somethin...i also did a pretty nice cover of it...check it out its up in my profile

  • f off

  • LOL.

  • JAH RAS TAFARI KING OF KINGS LORD OF LORDS CONQUERING LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH ELECT OF GOD EVER LIVING GOD EARTHS RIGHTFUL RULER CHRIST IN HIS KINGLY CHARACTER. "And i wept much, because no man was worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, weep not: behold The LION IF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, THE ROOT OF DAVID, hath prevailed to open the book, and to lose the seven seals thereof. " REVELATION 5:4-5

  • No. Prince Tafari is not Christ. Selassie said so himself and did so publicly. The Bible you quote also says that he has no kingly form or majesty in his form as a man. Clearly emperor Selassie, A Christian, had a kingly form and majesty on earth.

    2. Every King before Selassie had the traditional title King of Kings OF ETHIOPIA (not just King of Kings which is entirely different). They were not all God in the flesh either. Ethiopia had many lesser kings that were subject to the emperor.

  • STOP LYING against H.I.M. HAILE SELASSIE I - He Never Denied His ANOINTING...i.e. being "Christos"! He said that Man is not emanated from a "deity"! He didn't want us to adopt false gentile "christian" misinterpretations as "Rastafari"! HE IS THE FATHER COME TO BEAR WITNESS OF THE BLACK SON OF GOD. FATHER IS CHRIST AND SON IS CHRIST AND WE AS RASTAFARI IN HIS HOLY SPIRIT IS CHRIoST! PSALM 82:6. Also, why don't some rastas teach you gentiles and gentiliis to say "selassie" instead of HIS NAME?

  • Hailie Selassie was an Orthodox Christian and defender of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Here is a quote from one of his speeches "

    "It is quite true that there is no perfection in humanity. From time to time we make mistakes, we do commit sins but even as we do that, deep in our hearts as Christians we know we have forgiveness from the Almighty. He taught us that all who seek Him shall find Him. To live in this healthy life, a Christian life, is what makes me follow Jesus Christ."

  • Ethiopianworld... Christ is perfect and blameless ie without sin YET Hailie Selassie included himself amongst sinners as his words about Genna (Ethiopian Christmas)clearly show. To refer to Selassie as Christ is a blasphemy. Selassie was never anointed as Son of God (that is to say the very Spirit of God in the flesh). It does not do to dishonour his Creator by worshipping the creation (Selassie).Finally... Selassie is not the Father. That makes no sense. You think God Sins? Incredible. Awake!

  • Are you sure? Psalm 82:6?

    That's quite different from my Bible:

    82:6 I have said, Ye are gods;

    and all of you are children of the Most High.

  • my former comment was a question about ethiopianworld 's last comment.

  • love sinead, love this song.. just simply, wow!

  • This is pretty cool but there is a version of the same psalm by lori chaffer called "please don't make us sing this song" I couldn't find it on youtube but google video has it (can't post url on youtube so just search). Check it out and tell me what you think?

  • nice version!

  • IT'MY LIVE ---DIE THE BAIBILOON

  • beautiful song, i especially like the way she sings it. It would be great if she would do a studio recording of it.

  • She has, she has! I just got the CD in the mail yesterday. It's a new 2CD set called Theology. It's the same songs on each CD - one called the Dublin sessions, one called the London sessions. The Dublin is spare and pared down to the lyrics and depth of feeling. The London is fuller, more like the stage performance. You'll see - it's an exquisite showcase of musicianship in its range of expression.

  • its sad that she cant sing like that any more.

  • What do you mean have you seen her live lately?? This was only 2 years ago and i saw her live this year she was great!

  • What do you mean she can't sing like that anymore greg26742?

  • I am a Rasta and I was totally blown away by this wonderful, beautiful version of I&I ancient Nyabinghi Psalm. Exceptional!

    Sinead, JAH BLESS you for this.

    RASTAFARI come to call all pure hearts.

  • this is the worst version of this song i've ever heard

  • This is a poem from the Bible,The Pslams 137:1-4. Originally put to tune by the Melodians, Boney M covered it inna Disco style in 78.

  • Oh, yeah, I remember. It was right on the money then as now. It was the audience reaction that shocked and appalled me to the core. (Now, as then, as many in the world still turn). Are you sure she isn't pregnant in this clip? I don't know when it was recorded.

    Exquisite rendition - wow!

  • This here aint no Boney M song. DId they on the whole write any song at all?? Its an ol' religious tune with a 60s typical rocksteady beatin'tune, by the Melodians, released in 1969, then out again in the movie The Harder They Come

  • she changed the lyrics because she didn't want any sense of bitterness to come through in her version. so she went back to the original Psalm to find other lyrics she could use. watch her interview on the late late show. its very good.

  • Congratulations! brilliant comment!

  • Basically in a nut shell Sinead has written many songs.

  • If you give someone a free platform to make statements they usually make them regardless of doing their research.

  • Firstly tubelogin you should do your research before you make comments. Research your subject.You have the luxury of changing your nickname after such a folly of a mistake.I think you will find Sinead wrote Mandinka for one which was a massive hit.